I call capricci all those works that either do not fit into a clear category or body of work, or explicitely refer to some other artist's work, and are therefore analogous to a musical interpretation, or "cover" of somebody else's composition. The Situationists in the 50's and 60's talked about "detourned paintings" when referring to the latter practice.
The word capriccio was popular in 18th century painting with the meaning of architectural fantasy, often combining archaeological elements with real and fictional buildings. In my interpretation of the word, I like to combine the architectural-fantasy motif with the borrowing and interpretation of elements from other painters.
detail of Small painting in Tiepolo style, oil on linen mounted on board, 2009